Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleThe Message Of The Book
Bible TextJohn 1:45
Synopsis All the old testament law and prophets (including the Psalms) have one message: the Lord Jesus Christ who is the salvation of his people. Listen
Date22-Nov-2020
Series John 2020
Article Type Sermon Notes
Audio HI-FI Listen: The Message Of The Book (32 kbps)
Audio CD Quality Listen: The Message Of The Book (128 kbps)
Length 32 min.
 
Series: John 
Title: The Message of the Book 
Text: John1: 45 
Date: Nov 22, 2020 
Place: SGBC, NJ 
  
Subject: The Message of the Book 
  
John 1: 45: Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 
  
Have you noticed how often those who Christ called are said to have known that the scriptures taught of the coming Messiah?  Philip and Nathaniel knew the scriptures. The woman at the well knew the scriptures.  So many that our Lord came to, though they were yet lost, they were students of the word. 
  
I asked a young person this week, do you read the scriptures?  Do you take the things preached and look them up in the word?  God has given us the gospel.  This is light.  We do not earn salvation.  But God says walk in the light he has given and he will give more light.  So today I want to speak on The Message of the Book—the message of all the scriptures is Christ. 
  
Proposition: All the old testament law and prophets (including the Psalms) have one message: the Lord Jesus Christ who is the salvation of his people. 
  
John 1: 45: Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 
  
MOSES IN THE LAW
 
Most wrote of Christ in the first five books of the bible, including the law of Sinai.  All declares Christ who alone saves God’s elect. 
 
The self-righteous Pharisee’s thought themselves righteous and despised others.  So they rejected Christ for Moses, particularly, for the old covenant law.   Christ said, “You search the scriptures: for in them you think you have life and they are they which testify of me.  And you will not come to me that you might have Life” (Jn 5: 39-40).  They read scripture as we all do at first, seeking what they must do to earn eternal life.  But the scripture speaks of Christ.  They command us to come to Christ that we might have Life by  his works not our own.  Christ told them, ‘Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me (Jn 5:46).
  
When Christ opened the understanding of the two on the road to Emmaus “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Lu 24:27).
  
As soon as Adam fell in the garden and plunged all into spiritual death, Moses wrote of Christ the seed of woman—the salvation of his people. 
  
Genesis 3:15  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 
  
Christ is pictured in Noah’s ark—Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord—he was of the election of grace, chosen freely by God by grace in Christ.  So God preached the gospel to Noah and shut Noah and his family up in the Ark—“of God are ye in Christ Jesus”—all God’s elect were in Christ on the cross.  The flood of God’s justice fell on Christ like the rains came down on the ark.  But all his elect were safe inside Christ our Ark.  That is salvation in a picture. 
  
The Hebrew writer tells us Moses spoke of Christ when he wrote of Melchizedek in Genesis 14:18.  When we read the old testament, if using a Cambridge bible use the marginal reference.  Often we find the word expounded in the new testament. 
  
Hebrews 7: 1: For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; 2: To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; 3: Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually…8: 1: Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; 
  
Moses wrote of Christ who is the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
 
Genesis 49:10: The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.  
  
When John beheld the revelation of Christ, no man was found worthy to open the book and John began to weep. 
  
Revelation 5: 5: And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. 6: And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain,… 
 
God’s people are not gathered to Mt Sinai, we are not gathered to earthly Israel or to a church denomination.  God draws us to Shiloh, the Lord Jesus—unto him shall the gathering of the people be.  John the Baptist was drawn to him.  Andrew, John, Peter, Nathaniel, Philipp.  All God’s elect are drawn to Shiloh.  Our Lord said, 
  
John 6:37: All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 
  
All the old covenant law spoke of Christ.  God’s people delight in the ten commandments in our inner man.  One, because Christ uses the law to teach us our sin and inability to come to God by the works of the law.  Two, he reveals Christ is the righteous love that established the ten commandments for his people—Christ is the Righteousness of God for his people.  Believing on Christ we establish the law even as Abraham did who did 430 years before Sinai. 
  
And Christ is everything typified in the ceremonial law—High Priest, Lamb, Brazen Altar, Mercy Seat, Tabernacle—it all pictured Christ—but Christ is the express image.  Why does God command us not to go back to the ceremonies and days of the old covenant law?  If you have a picture of a loved one who you long to arrive, you hold on to the picture and long for the day they arrive.  But once they arrive in person, if you turn from them back to the picture then there is a problem. Nathaniel said Christ is here!
  
THE PROPHETS
  
The prophets all wrote of Christ.   Philipp said, “We found him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
  
Act 3:24  Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. 
  
Samuel was a prophet.  He himself typified Christ.  He was born of God to Hannah as a miracle gift of God like Christ.  Samuel served the Lord from his youth as Christ did.  But Samuel wrote of Christ—he wrote the Lord’s word to David concerning Christ, the Son of David. 
  
2 Samuel 7: 12: And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 13: He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14: I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:…16  And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. 
  
Isaiah declared 
  
Isaiah 7:14: Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 
  
Isaiah 9:6: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 
  
Isaiah 11:10: And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it [to him] shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. 
  
Christ Jesus is the true Son of David who is the King of eternal Israel, David’s Son and David’s Lord. 
  
Acts 2: 25: For David speaketh concerning him, [these are Christ’s words written by David] I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 26: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: 27: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 28: Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. [now listen to Peter] 29: Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30  Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31  He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption…34: For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35: Until I make thy foes thy footstool. 
  
Christ is the Branch, the Lord our Righteousness spoken of by Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Zacharia—the church wears his name because we are clothed in his righteousness. 
  
Jeremiah 23:6: In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby HE shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 
  
Jeremiah 33:16: In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith SHE shall be called, The LORD our righteousness. 
  
Christ is the true Shepherd described by Ezekiel.  Micah declared his birth place. 
  
Micah 5:2: But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. 
  
Christ is the Messenger of the Covenant promised by Malachi.  Zechariah declared the price of Christ’s betrayal by Judas. 
  
Zechariah 11:12: And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. 
  
Christ is the Messiah who Daniel prophesied was to be cut off, not for himself, but for the people. 
  
ARE WE TO SEEK LIKE IN THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS?
  
Can we find life by our hand?  Is life to be found by doing the law and the prophets?  
  
We have sinned.  We need a perfect righteousness.  Our nature is corrupt.  We need to be created anew in purity.  We cannot seek life in the scripture by our hand.  But the law and the prophets and the Psalms bear witness of Christ who is Life.  He is Life because he is Righteousness.  Life is Christ Jesus our Lord. 
 
Moses represents the law and the prophets.  He was a prophet and the law came by him. So when the children of Israel came to the border of Canaan, God would not let Moses deliver them into the promised land because he represented the law.  But representing both the law and the prophets, Moses laid his hands on Joshua bearing witness that Joshua [Savior] would deliver the children into Canaan. It pictured the law and the prophets bearing witness that Christ is the Righteousness of God by whose faithful obedience his people are delivered. 
  
Romans 3: 20: Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21: But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22: Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: 
  
Moses represented the law and the prophets.  The law cannot deliver us into the heavenly promise and the prophets cannot deliver.  Joshua represents Christ.  Both the law and the prophets bear witness that Christ is the Righteousness of God, our Deliverer!  His name is Jesus/Joshua for he shall save his people from our sins. 
  
On the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses (law) and Elijah (prophets) appeared with Christ.   When Peter suggested they worship all three, God spoke from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.  Hear ye him.”  When Peter looked again there stood none but Christ.  The law and the prophets bear witness that Christ is the one who pleased God for his people. 
  
The whole bible has one message.  It is the commandment of God the Father that his people hear Christ, believe on Christ, worship Christ, follow Christ and give Christ all the glory! When Philip said to Nathanael, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write” Nathanael knew Philip was saying, “We have found the Christ!” Christ is the Savior who alone saves his people from our sins.  All the old testament saints saw afar off and were saved by the same Christ we trust and worship.  Search the scriptures looking for Christ.  God may just reveal him to you. 
 
Amen!